David Szalay: Flesh

In 2016, David Szalay's novel All That Man Is was nominated for the
biggest prize in books, The Booker Prize. Then, in 2025, he was
shortlisted for his newest offering, Flesh, and won the whole
thing!! It's well-documented that Flesh was my personal winner this
year, and I was elated to see it propser. Flesh tells the story of
István, a Hungarian immigrant working for a wealthy English family
as a chauffeur. In a way, István is the chauffeur of the novel too,
silently driving us forward -- however, all we see is his side
profile, his outline. He's evasive and stoic as a result of his
unprocessed trauma. I was thrilled that David was able to find time
in his jampacked schedule as a newly crowned Booker winner to come
and chat to the Inklings Book Club. Learn more about your ad
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